The veto drew a strong rebuke from the group representing the employees, which noted in a statement that some M/C employees were denied statutorily enacted raises in 2009 and 2010. "This continuing under-compensation of the M/C Workforce is bad public policy, bad management and counterproductive to maintaining a competent, qualified, dedicated workforce who provide the programs and services needed by the state’s residents," read the statement.

This bill, which was sponsored by Assemblyman Herman Farrell, a Democrat, and Sen. John DeFrancisco, a Republican, would have established a quadrennial commission on managerial or confidential employee compensation that would be designed to ensure salary levels were set on a regular basis.

Cuomo said in his veto message, which is available below, that compensation should be dealt with as part of the budget process.

"Unquestionably, managerial and confidential state employees provide valuable services to the state," reads the veto message. "The overall salary structure for employees and public officers warrants a review and analysis to make it more fair to all state workers."

The bill memorandum highlighted the fact that because of delayed raises, some managerial or confidential employees make less money than the employees they supervise. As a result, the memorandum argues that people are turning down promotions to M/C positions.

"In addition, as a result of the administrative withholding of M/C pay raises 2009 and 2010, as well as the non-negotiated pay schedules contained in 2011-2016 PayBill, enacted at the end of the 2011 Legislative Session, M/C employees, if left unaddressed, will not receive a raise for 5 consecutive years," reads the bill memo.